Computer shutting down randomly

[ILikeTrains]

This problem has happened a couple of times now over the past couple of days.

At a seemingly completely random time (just browsing the internet, no high stress situation), the computer will instantly shut down. Pressing the start button might not do anything initially, then I'll come back in a few minutes, press it again and it'll work fine. Today, it happened again and pressing the power button made a little eletricity sound, like when you plug in a cable half way or something. I don't wanna turn it on again in case it breaks some hardware even further.

So what could it be? I'm usually good fixing computer problems but I'm not sure where to even start here. The cables seem to all be plugged in just fine. I've popped the computer open and all the things seem to be correctly placed in, and I'm not noticing anything off like popped capacitors.

Some info about the computer: it's ~2,5 year old, MOBO: Gigabyte GA-b75m-d2v, CPU: Intel i3-3220, GPU: HD 7770, PSU: Corsair CX500, RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8gb

I recently installed Windows 10. Probably not related, but figured I'd mention it. That's the only major thing that's changed with the computer recently. No hardware changes.

 

[Tom_S]

Most likely PSU

 

[ILikeTrains]

Most likely PSU

Anything I can do to test that other than getting a different PSU for a couple of days to see if the problem persists?

I just remembered that there's been another problem with the computer recently, which might be related: the mouse and keyboard will suddenly stop working. Their lights blink on and off, but they don't respond to input. Restarting the PC fixes it. It's happened like twice.

 

[Tom_S]

Anything I can do to test that other than getting a different PSU for a couple of days to see if the problem persists?

No. The CX500M is available for less than $30 on Newegg.

I just remembered that there's been another problem with the computer recently, which might be related: the mouse and keyboard will suddenly stop working. Their lights blink on and off, but they don't respond to input. Restarting the PC fixes it. It's happened like twice.

Could be related to PSU if the 5 volt rail is failing, but could also be caused by Win 10 power settings.

 

[ILikeTrains]

Unfortunately the CX500M is like 67 euros where I'm from, even the CX430M is like 54 eur. I don't know how the prices got so high in Estonia. Anyway, I guess that's besides the point.

I assume that if I keep using this one and the computer crashes, it's likely to harm the other components as well?

 

[Tom_S]

Yes. Can you see the PSU voltages in BIOS?

edit: What concerns me most is the electrical arcing noise you mentioned, if it weren't for that I might think that you were getting dirty power and the PSU was clamping which can be solved with a UPS.

 

[ILikeTrains]

Yes. Can you see the PSU voltages in BIOS?

edit: What concerns me most is the electrical arcing noise you mentioned, if it weren't for that I might think that you were getting dirty power and the PSU was clamping which can be solved with a UPS.

It happened only for half a second and I can't remember it very well, but I think the noise came from close to the power button itself, not the PSU. Since I can't understand half of the words in your sentence, I don't know if that helps narrow it down

 

[Tom_S]

Tell me which words and I will try again.

 

[ILikeTrains]

Mainly dirty power/clamping/UPS, but I did some googling.

So if that's true, it's not actually the PSU's fault but rather some electricity supply problem in my building? Is that likely, considering it hasn't happened before recently and the rest of the devices keep running when this happens?

Here's are the PC health numbers from BIOS (I assume the import bits are 3 and 4):

CPU Vcore 1.032 V
Dram voltage 1.524 V
+3.3V 3.344 V
+12V 12.096 V
CPU temp 32 C
Sys temp 25 C
CPU fan speed 1331 RPM
Sys fan speed 1216 RPM

 

[Tom_S]

Mainly dirty power/clamping/UPS, but I did some googling.

So if that's true, it's not actually the PSU's fault but rather some electricity supply problem in my building?

Yes, it is possible.

Is that likely, considering it hasn't happened before recently and the rest of the devices keep running when this happens?

Things do change over time.

Your computer is more sensitive than other devices and the PSU is made with this in mind.

BUT You are not likely to hear "electrical noise" like you described coming from the case power switch. SO I still think you have a bad PSU or you missed a loose connector.

I would pull the motherboard power connections and inspect the pins just to be safe.

 

[ILikeTrains]

Hmm, so other than rechecking the connections, the next step would be to just buy a new PSU and hope that that fixes it?

This current PSU is not under warranty, so is there a chance I can look inside to see if there's anything wrong with it?

 

[Tom_S]

Hmm, so other than rechecking the connections, the next step would be to just buy a new PSU and hope that that fixes it?

It is the cheapest thing to try here in the United States.

This current PSU is not under warranty, so is there a chance I can look inside to see if there's anything wrong with it?

The capacitors CAN KILL YOU if not discharged properly.

I have fixed a lot of PSU's but it is usually not worth it for PSU's in this price range. It is often not a capacitor problem and often not a visible problem. You can look at JonnyGuru's reviews to see the inside of some of the CX### line of Corsair PSU's.

 

[ILikeTrains]

Fair enough, I won't touch it then and just get a new unit.

If I intend to upgrade to a low-midrange PC in the next ~6 months, should I get a slightly more powerful one? Like 600w-700w? Or is a 500w Corsair/SeaSonic fine?

I'll probably be looking at a CPU and GPU for around 200$ each. Not sure on the specifics yet. Some lowend i5, probably.

 

[Tom_S]

Fair enough, I won't touch it then and just get a new unit.

If you have inspected your motherboard power connections and found no signs of arcing or other problems then maybe you should try something like this

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007P11M4/?tag=extension-kb-20

before you dump the PSU. You probably should be using one anyway.

edit:The link is an example only, it is for ~120 volt AC @ 50 or 60Hz, you would need to find something compatible with your line voltage.

If I intend to upgrade to a low-midrange PC in the next ~6 months, should I get a slightly more powerful one? Like 600w-700w? Or is a 500w Corsair/SeaSonic fine?

It is really too soon to be buying a PSU for that build, however you probably will need more than 500w which means you will not want a Corsair CX### model.

I prefer Seasonic. There are some other brands that use Seasonic to manufacture some of their PSU's such as XFX, EVGA, these can be good also, you will need to do your research based on what is available where you live.

 

[ILikeTrains]

If you have inspected your motherboard power connections and found no signs of arcing or other problems then maybe you should try something like this

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007P11M4/?tag=extension-kb-20

before you dump the PSU. You probably should be using one anyway.

So if I understand correctly, that thing will protect against dirty power? And since it's 600w, any power supply above that would be bottlenecked?

I just remembered another detail: this isn't that recent, but I started using an old monitor recently. It occasionally does some weird artifacts, so it's not in the best health. But I'm using it as a second monitor, so it doesn't have to be perfect. Anyway, could this be causing dirty power?

It is really too soon to be buying a PSU for that build, however you probably will need more than 500w which means you will not want a Corsair CX### model.

I prefer Seasonic. There are some other brands that use Seasonic to manufacture some of their PSU's such as XFX, EVGA, these can be good also, you will need to do your research based on what is available where you live.

I can't imagine I'm gonna need more than 620w though? I can get a SeaSonic S12II-620 Bronze for roughly the same price as a CX500.

Sorry for the neverending barrage of questions, and thanks for the help so far : D

 

[Tom_S]

This problem has happened a couple of times now over the past couple of days.

Today, it happened again and pressing the power button made a little eletricity sound, like when you plug in a cable half way or something. I don't wanna turn it on again in case it breaks some hardware even further.

I am still concerned about this noise, so remove the GPU and inspect the PCIe slot connections as well as the power connectors to the GPU.

 

[Tom_S]

So if I understand correctly, that thing will protect against dirty power? And since it's 600w, any power supply above that would be bottlenecked?

They make them with higher wattage ratings (ss2200 is 1200 watts)

I just remembered another detail: this isn't that recent, but I started using an old monitor recently. It occasionally does some weird artifacts, so it's not in the best health. But I'm using it as a second monitor, so it doesn't have to be perfect. Anyway, could this be causing dirty power?

It is possible, but so could anything using that same circuit, which is why I use dedicated circuits with isolated grounds for mission critical installations.

Why do you blame the monitor for the weird artifacts?

I can't imagine I'm gonna need more than 620w though? I can get a SeaSonic S12II-620 Bronze for roughly the same price as a CX500.

Sorry for the neverending barrage of questions, and thanks for the help so far : D

No problem, I hope it helps.

 

[ILikeTrains]

Why do you blame the monitor for the weird artifacts?

Because it's a pretty old monitor, and it's a dual monitor setup where the other monitor is working fine. Also, the weird green lines don't look like they would be software related.

If you have inspected your motherboard power connections and found no signs of arcing or other problems then maybe you should try something like this

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007P11M4/?tag=extension-kb-20

before you dump the PSU. You probably should be using one anyway.

edit:The link is an example only, it is for ~120 volt AC @ 50 or 60Hz, you would need to find something compatible with your line voltage.

http://www.1a.ee/arvutitehnika/ups/tecnoware_eco_1100va_11

Does this look like the right thing? I can't find info on the exact product code, but if the name is correct then it seems to be 660W and for 230V at 50 Hz, which matches with what Estonia uses.

 

[Tom_S]

I'm not familiar with the brand or quality but the specifications indicate that it is just a battery backup. It passes through whatever power it receives unless there is a complete power outage. So probably not a good choice.

http://www.tecnoware.com/SOHO/Pc-Workstation/UPS-EASY-INTERACTIVE/UPS-ECO/UPS-ECO-1.1_1437.html